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A Message from Principal, Mr Martin
This is the first edition of our new E-Newsletter which will link together all of our content from the website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Last week was the 100th anniversary of the Poppy Appeal. To mark this important event we had an online Service of Remembrance with Shefford Lower School (SLS) and Robert Bloomfield Academy (RBA). The event was held in the theatre with several of our service children in the audience from the two bases in our community, along with 3000 pupils and staff listening online. We started with a poem written by Victor in Year 9, read by Will from RBA, followed by Lily and Darcey who read ‘Flanders Field’, and then Abhinaya and Joel read ‘Poppies for Remembrance’. Mrs Linehan then closed the service with the ‘Story of the Unknown Soldier’, before Josh and Adam played the Last Post on trumpet to mark the beginning of the two-minute silence. Finally, Mr Edwards, who served in the RAF, laid a wreath at the foot of our memorial, made by Mr Bonham who is a former Marine. A thank you to Mr Whittle for setting up all the equipment, Mr Wilshaw for his painting of poppies and Prof Hubbard for all his support. It was a wonderful opportunity for all the local schools to come together in an act of remembrance and one which we hope to make an annual event.
On Tuesday we had our Year 11 tutor evening, Sixth Form open evening and careers convention. The evening was an incredibly successful event and was attended not only by our students but also by nearly 100 students from other schools. The representatives from all the different companies at the careers fair, including Woburn Safari Park, Police and Ryanair, as well as local colleges and universities, were all full of praise for the enthusiasm and maturity of the students that they spoke to. They were delighted to be back talking to young people about their future hopes and dreams. I would like to thank all the staff involved in the evening, including: all the staff who presented in the hall and the theatre, Year 11 tutors, the Sixth Form team, Ms Foreman, Ms McMillan and Ms Freeman for all their hard work in organising and running such a fantastic careers evening.
I'm pleased to inform you that since the vaccinations took place after half term, the number of positive cases in school has gradually fallen week-on-week and has now settled at around the low twenties. The advice from the Local Authority is still for schools to ask all staff and students to wear face coverings inside the school buildings, as the number of cases in central Bedfordshire and our local community are still very high. This will be reviewed again in two weeks' time.
Local residents have asked that we remind parents to take care when parking outside the school, particularly on Pedley Lane, as it is causing a potentially dangerous bottleneck.
Finally, we are sad to announce the passing of Cathy Fortune over half term after a short illness. Cathy was a valued and well-respected member of staff who made a difference to thousands of students throughout her time at SWA.
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Messages From Heads of Year
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Thank you to everyone who attended the Year 9 PRE meetings with our tutors this term. It was fantastic to see so many families talking enthusiastically about life at Samuel Whitbread. The evening also gave us the first opportunity to discuss the exciting process of Year 9 Options. A recording of the Options presentation with Mr Butler is available to watch on our school website, together with a wealth of information about different subject choices. Please do take the time to look through the information with your child. There are a number of different contacts listed at the end of the presentation should you need any further information. [Click here to be direct to page]
As a school, we had the privilege of hosting an incredibly moving Remembrance Service on Thursday 11th November. The entire school was a part of the virtual service; a poignant moment made even more special by the fact that one of our talented Year 9 students wrote a poem that was read aloud at the beginning of the service. An incredibly proud moment for us all.
As we move towards the end of the Autumn term, please can I remind you that our high standards of school uniform remain in place and that we expect all students to be fully equipped for every school day. If you have any questions regarding how best to help your child prepare for school, please do get in touch with our wonderful tutor team.
Our Year 10s have now settled in to their GCSE options and are producing some excellent work across many subjects. Thank you for your support in ensuring all students have the correct equipment and uniform, it really helps drive up standards and keep the high expectations in their lessons – I am sure this will make a big difference in attitude & work ethic.
We have been given a fantastic opportunity for students in Year 10. The Wadham Project gives selected students from across Bedfordshire the opportunity to learn more about university-level education, with the hope that students on the scheme will learn how to make competitive applications to university in the future, should they wish to go. The project consists of a number of online lectures and seminars for pupils to attend, supported by an Oxbridge mentor at the host school. A visit to the Wadham College in Oxford has been included in the programme as well as an overnight residential trip where critical skills are a focus. The programme is fully funded by Wadham College and all that is expected of pupils is a commitment to complete the course, with all travel expenses to and from the college included.
For more information, including the criteria in order to be selected, please review the email sent home this week, or email Professor Hubbard (lhubbard@bestacademies.org.uk). The links to sign up to the project are also in the email, or below.
Student: https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/wadham-project-year-10-pupil-application-form-2021-22
Parent: https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/wadham-project-year-10-parent-form-2021-22
With Year 11 mocks taking place next week we just wanted to take the opportunity to give some advice to both parents and students to help survive the next two weeks! Firstly, make sure you are fully equipped to come to school with all stationary you need to approach an exam with. Secondly, please make sure that you are getting enough sleep - so turn off your phone at an appropriate time and ensure it is away from you! Equally, make sure you set yourself an alarm to wake you up in plenty of time so that you're not rushing around in the morning which helps eliminate unnecessary stress. Lastly, make sure you are having conversations at home and take care of yourself and each other.
Good luck from the year team, we hope you are successful in your mock examinations.
Our Year 12 students have just received their first predict report which will indicate their predicted and working grades. There is a really positive picture across the year group and we thank all parents for their role in supporting students through this first term in Sixth Form. Departments will be working closely with students to help them make better progress towards their next prediction cycle in March. As the Head of Year, I will be paying close attention to the attitude to learning and independent learning assessments. There will be some interventions planned to support and challenge students in these areas and parents will be contacted where appropriate.
Students will be at home for a Reading, Reflection and Revision day on Friday 19th November as you are reading this. We hope this day is utilised well by the students and have accessed our many resources and links for the day.
Students in Year 12 have been given a fantastic opportunity to be part of The Youth Ambassador Programme through an external provider. Applications must be submitted through a google-form by Friday 26th November. Details of the programme and the application can be found on the year group Google Classroom.
We are rapidly approaching Internal Progression Exams (IPEs) which start on the 29th November and students should have their individual exam timetables with seating and room arrangements. Please do make sure that students have read the updated guidance material in this year’s Mock Exam Booklet – for example, no wristwatches of any type are allowed in exam rooms. If there are any issues with exams please do contact the exams office in the first instance (swa-examofficer@bestacademies.org.uk).
During the IPEs students have study leave (29th Nov – 9th Dec inclusive) except for some BTEC subjects – we have communicated the days and lessons they need to be in with students.
Two letters went out this week with guidance about applying for apprenticeships and University, this term is an exceptionally busy time for UCAS applications and we hope to send all applications to universities before the end of term (17th December). Students work on their application with their form tutor and book a final check and send a meeting with a member of the sixth form team (sbutler@bestacademies.org.uk).
Finally, a massive thank you to so many sixth form students who gave up their evening to help with Sixth Form Open Evening. Their help meant that the evening had a wonderful atmosphere, with so many external and internal students and parents impressed with the positivity of our students.
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CATHY FORTUNE MEMORIAL
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of one of our dear friends and colleagues, Cathy Fortune. Cathy joined the school in 2002 and had served for 19 years as a Learning Support Assistant, working with some of our most vulnerable young people. Prior to her career in education, she worked as a mental health nurse locally and carried all of that skill and experience into her role at Samuel Whitbread. Cathy was a deeply caring and tremendously hard-working colleague who was loved and respected by all. Students were in no doubt of her expectations of them, and she had a particular skill in helping those with physical and medical conditions, to support them with their learning in the classroom and helping them navigate life in school. Cathy was straight-talking, always had the best interests of children at the centre of all she did, and there are many young adults who can attribute their success in life to her intervention in their education. As a friend and colleague, she is missed dearly. Cathy would always be the first in, making sure the kettle was hot and we were well stocked with biscuits. Her open and honest appraisal of situations was always welcome and supportive and throughout her time with us, she was just great fun to spend time with over a coffee. Cathy passed away following a brief illness, and our deepest sympathies are with her family at this time.
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DEBATE CLUB
The opening event for the international debate competition was a great success! SWA team is looking forward to the first debating round and if the team is successful they will go on to the Final Debate, on the 25th November. Updates will be posted on the school social media and the debate club on Twitter.
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MARK MUSIC NOMINATION
Samuel Whitbread Academy has been nominated by Inspiring Music to become a Mark Music School, a UK association for music education. Our music department has been recognised for their hard work and high quality of teaching. We are super proud of the Music Department.
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PANTOMINE
It’s nearly that time of year again (Oh yes it is!)! Rehearsals for the BEST trust pantomime are well underway and students are working extremely hard for this! Staff and Students are extremely excited to put on our first production in 2 years and would LOVE to see as many people there as possible. To get your tickets please click here.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Is it really Christmas without some Christmas music? As well as working hard for the pantomime, students are also working towards our Christmas Concert. If you would like to get in the Christmas Spirit, please purchase your tickets click here.
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TASTER SESSIONS
Year 8 taster sessions have begun! So far students have joined us for taster sessions in dance, music and Netball. All Heads of departments were thoroughly impressed, with the great engagement and enthusiasm from the students. Looking forward to the next sessions: football, rugby, design and food technology.
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JACK CAREEM BBC CHILDREN IN NEED FUNDRAISER
Year 10 student, Jack Careem and his team of gamers have been raising money for BBC Children in Need. On Saturday the 13th November they completed their 24-hour Gameathon, the team have managed to smash their target of £3002, and instead raised £3800 (and counting). Jack’s hard work has been recognised by BBC Children in Need, as he is nominated for the Sir Terry Wogan Fundraiser of the year. Being a part of the final nominees, Jack has been interviewed by Michael Ball. This was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 and can be found on catch up at BBC sounds. To donate and find out more about Jack Careem fundraiser click here.
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19 Nov 2021
On the 16th November, the school held a Careers Convention where students learned about what opportunities await them after education. This year we had exhibitors from Easy Jet, Nova apprenticeships and Bedfordshire Police. We also had representatives from local colleges and Universities...
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MODERN LANGUAGE
Y9 French: Imogen Davies has blown the department in her French lessons. We are so impressed by her abilities and skills. She can understand (and grasp) a new grammatical concept and vocabulary quickly and be able to incorporate it to her existing knowledge. These are the true qualities of an excellent language learner. We would love to teach her at GCSE!
Y11 French: Isabella Byers has a passion for languages and works incredibly hard both in lessons and independently. Her progress from year 9 to year 11 has been phenomenal and she is already tackling grammar elements and vocabulary from the A level course. We enjoy teaching Isabella and see her attempting more and more challenging tasks.
Y13 French: Evie Turner is hardworking and has a natural flair for languages, so together, this has increased her awareness of grammar and vocabulary throughout the A level course. Now we are studying the politics modules, Evie can explore one of her main topics of interest along with learning new vocabulary and taking on complex concepts with ease. We love how Evie responds to our feedback, such a pleasure to work with Evie.
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19 Nov 2021
For the 100th anniversary of the poppy appeal, we held a service to pay respect to those who have served and are serving. Leading up to the service, year nine students were asked to write a poem for Remembrance Day in their engaging minds lessons. Three students’ poems clearly demons...
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ODDBALLS
Samuel Whitbread ODD-Balls hats are back in stock, just £15 each. Can be bought in finance. As you can see the PE debarment had fun making promo videos for ODDBALLS!
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THE READY TRIAL
Take part in research aiming to see if physical activity improves the mood of young people with, low mood, feelings of sadness that won't go away or live with depression. For more information please visit their website.
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ECO COMMITTEE NEWS
We have been busy making preparations to achieve our green flag award this year. Exciting plans include a tree-planting trip in the Spring term and a second-hand fashion show around the Easter period. We will be looking for donations of unwanted clothes which we can use for our models and then sell at the end of the fashion show in order to raise money for the tree planting which will now be an annual trip to help mitigate our carbon footprint. We are also re-launching our eco newsletter which will be out soon. All interested students looking to get involved with anything mentioned here should come to the next eco committee meeting on Wednesday lunchtime in room 115.
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SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING
In case you couldn't make Sixth Form open evening or wanted more information about our Sixth Form, please click here.
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FOOTBALL
This term our Year 9, 10, 11 teams are all through to the next round in the national cup. Looking forward to the next rounds.
RUGBY
Our Year 9, 10, 11 and 1st XV rugby team all went to play against St Joseph’s College on the 13th November. All teams were successful in winning. Keep up the good work!
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NETBALL
Our U19 netball had a huge success this term, they won the U19 County Tournament and are heading to Regionals on 29th January 2022! Well done girls.
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A few members of staff this year are growing out their moustaches to raise money for Movember, an organisation that raises money for men’s health.
Please donate here
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 Follow us on social media to keep up to date...
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Samuel Whitbread Academy E-Newsletter
You are receiving this because you are a Student,
Parent, Carer, Governor or Member of Staff at SWA.
Samuel Whitbread Academy
Shefford Road, Clifton, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QS
Tel: 01462 629900 • Fax: 01462 629901
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